


It's All In The Name

by exmachinarium



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-24
Updated: 2015-01-24
Packaged: 2018-03-08 22:05:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3225140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exmachinarium/pseuds/exmachinarium
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It starts innocently enough. He is accepted at Karasuno High School, hands in his form for the volleyball club in time and when the first day of training rolls about, forms an orderly line with the rest of the students, ready to confirm his attendance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's All In The Name

**Author's Note:**

> Completely forgot to repost my prompt fills from that one daisuga week I took part in over on tumblr. The original prompt was "first encounter", and who was I to resist writing the best team captain and his vice as awkward baby crows?

It starts innocently enough. He is accepted at Karasuno High School, hands in his form for the volleyball club in time and when the first day of training rolls about, forms an orderly line with the rest of the students, ready to confirm his attendance.

The list isn't overly long, but by the time the coach gets to 'S', Daichi's mind goes a little blank from standing so long doing nothing. Still, when he hears a harsh "Sawamura!" thrown his way, he responds with a clear, loud:

"Present!"

… And is jolted fully awake by the fact he apparently got himself an echo.

The boy to his left realizes his mistake and blushes in embarrassment as the coach fixes him with a stern look and announces that there's no room for absent—minded players on his team. The boy — Sugawara, as it turns out — is punished with a 'wake–up lap', so Daichi doesn't have time to offer any form of consolation.

Soon enough, the whole group is doing the warm–up and the small incident is pushed back in Daichi's mind in favour of focusing on running laps and stretching.

He gets his chance only after several rounds of spiking and serving, when everyone splits into twos to practice receives. Daichi notices Sugawara hesitantly walking towards a boy looking much older and quite frankly menacing… And decides to save the day.

"Sugawara! You have a pair?"

The boy whirls around on the spot, silvery hair fluttering (is that hair dye or some strange genetic mutation? Either way, quite cool), eyes wide. When he spots Daichi, he blushes, probably recalling his earlier blunder. Getting the boy all worked up is fun, but Daichi decides to go easy on him — this time, at least.

"Got a pair yet, Sugawara?" he repeats.

"What? No, I was about to–" he tries to point out at the menacing second– or third–year, but he's no longer in sight.

"Want to practise with me instead?"

"Sure."

He's still tense for the first few exchanges, but as they ease into a comfortable rhythm, Sugawara relaxes visibly and even starts smiling a little after a particularly good receive. Daichi might reconsider teasing him in the future. Sugawara at ease is even more pleasing to the eye.

"So, you're the real Sawamura, right?" Sugawara asks as they take a break.

"The one and only. I hope you'll stop trying to steal my name now," Daichi responds with a grim face. One look is enough for the other boy to see right through it.

"Aww, and there I thought I can stealthily make my way to the top by stealing the names of those who are higher than me in the register."

If there was any trace of tension left between them, it disappears the moment they both burst out laughing.

"But they are awfully alike. Our names, I mean."

"You think it’s a problem?" Sugawara asks, draining the last of his water bottle.

"Yup. Besides, they're far too long and will sound uncool in a match."

Sugawara blinks, not quite understanding. Daichi rolls his shoulders with a small crack and goes on to explain.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I can't imagine someone yelling 'Sawamura!' to me during a match. Such a mouthful."

"What you're saying is," Sugawara takes some time to respond, mulling the thing over in his head, as they return to the court for a second round of tosses, "you're afraid nobody's going to let you have the ball because they'd feel it's too bothersome to call out your full name?"

"Precisely!"

The ball goes back and forth a few times in silence.

"Well, I guess I have the same problem, then."

Before the commiseration can continue, a piercing whistle brings them down to earth once again. Another set of laps and stretches, a closing talk with the coach and then the whole group is dismissed. That is, the whole group aside from the first–years, who are instructed to collect the balls and clean the whole place. Which is a pretty mundane thing to do, but a thing that needs to be done nevertheless.

"So. There's going to be a practice match in two weeks. This is bad." Daichi growls as he pushes the ball basket back into the storage.

"You're thinking about our names again?"

Daichi nods and they both head out. The evening is warm and Daichi's house isn't that far away, so he doesn't even bother with changing clothes. Apparently, the same holds true for Sugawara, who's still walking next to him.

"Maybe we should get some nicknames instead?"

Sugawara laughs, dismissing the idea on the basis that you can't earn a good nickname in just two weeks' time.

"What about first names?" Daichi muses on.

"What? 'Koushi'? No, that’s even worse than 'Sugawara'!"

Koushi. Funny how that escaped Daichi's attention until now.

"How about just 'Suga', then?"

Sugawara looks up at the sky in deep thought; the idea seems to click for him, but he seems to be in need of a final push. Daichi is more than happy to deliver.

"Just imagine: the game gets really heated up. It reached the stage when one point can decide about victory or loss; the ball is just about to reach the tips of your fingers… By the way, what's your position?"

"Wha– Umm, I'm a setter."

"Ah, all right," Daichi returns to his passionate one–person re–enactment, "the tension is so thick in the air the ball seems to be falling in slow motion; you're right there in the middle of it all, about to make a toss that will make or break the whole team. You weight your options, go through all the spikers in a matter of seconds, when suddenly–"

Without warning, Daichi stops in the middle of the road and yells "SUGAAA!" at the top of his lungs, loud enough to make the nearby shop's owner burst out of the door and yell at them both to shut the hell up. Daichi apologises immediately, but as he turns towards his team mate, he's not embarrassed at all. Sugawara seems overwhelmed by the whole display, but he's smiling widely all the same.

"Well?"

"Yeah, I see what you mean there. But what about you?"

They resume walking, both trying to come up with something plausible. Shortening Daichi's name to 'Sawa' is discarded before either of them decides to say it out loud.

"Why not simply 'Daichi'? It's a cool name."

"You think so?"

"If I didn't think so, I wouldn't say it," Suga grins and Daichi finds out yet another thing about his new team mate.

When Sugawara Koushi smiles at you, it's nearly impossible not to smile back.


End file.
